Abstract
This study investigates gender and cultural differences in home environment, attitudes toward and the usage patterns of the computers and the Internet for Japanese and Korean high school students. Two hundred Japanese and two hundred Korean students' responses to a survey questionnaire are analyzed and discussed. No significant differences in general attitude toward computers and the Internet were found between two groups. And both male and female students in two countries saw ICT as an interesting and useful tool for communication and information search. However, differences were reported in Internet access, perception, ICT experiences and usages patterns between male and female students and between two countries. For example, Male students in both countries played more games than female students. Korean students had better Internet connection, had used ICT longer, and spent more time with the Internet especially during weekends than Japanese students. Korean students, both males and females, were more likely to use the Internet for study purposes than Japanese students. Female students in general were found to be less likely to be attracted to computer courses and to a computer-related career. Based on the results of the survey, this study discussed gender and cultural differences in attitudes toward and use of ICT in Korean and Japanese students from the perspectives of ICT infrastructure, ICT policies, and school and family cultures.
